Welcome back! Today, we’re moving away from the cheap, ugly, and broken cars and looking at a couple of unlikely survivors available for only a little more money. They’re not really comparable cars, but when cars get to this age, it’s less about what it is and more about how it makes you feel.
Yesterday was all about getting around cheaply, and honestly, I fully expected that disaster of a Toyota to beat out a battered old Dodge, even with half the miles. But the vote stayed close all day, and in the end, the Dynasty barely won. It’s probably the only race a four-cylinder Dodge Dynasty will ever win.
I guess I don’t need to tell you all which one I would pick. I don’t dislike the Toyota Echo, exactly, but when you’re shopping at this end of the market, simplicity counts for a lot – as does the price of parts, as our pal Stephen showed us yesterday. And in that regard, a Chrysler K engine and Torqueflite transmission is the way to go.
One of my favorite things about our little corner of the car-culture universe is that so many people here, writers and readers alike, share my love of everyday cars. I mean, sure, we love exotics too, but celebrating the ordinary, and finding the extraordinary in it, is kind of becoming our thing. And I love it. Fancy cars are cool, but a working-class hero, as a wise man once said, is something to be.
And judging by the comments on our recent “Autopian Asks” questions, you’re all here for it. Yesterday, Jason posed a question inspired by a discussion in Slack about the humble Chevy Chevette Scooter, and one comment included a link to a surprisingly nice Dodge Omni. I simply had to feature it. To counterbalance the bright blue econobox, I’m also featuring something a little more aspirational – a middle-of-the-road personal luxury coupe. Let’s check them out.
1979 Dodge Omni – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.7 liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Henderson, NC
Odometer reading: 55,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, probably could use some exercise
In 1981, Ford made a lot of noise about their new “World Car,” the Escort. It wasn’t really a world car; the American version only resembled the European version, though it did share a drivetrain. But three years earlier, Chrysler had already tapped their European wing for a subcompact: the Chrysler/Simca/Talbot Horizon, sold here as the Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni. Like the Escort, it wasn’t exactly like the European version, but it sure looked like it.
To suit American tastes and roads, the Omni and Horizon featured a larger engine than the European Horizon: a 1.7 liter overhead cam four supplied by Volkswagen. And of course, an automatic transmission was an option from day one. I would also be surprised if the European Horizon had as much fake woodgrain inside it as this one does.
This Omni has been in the same family since it was new. It has only 55,000 miles on its odometer, and has been garaged and carefully maintained its whole life. It may not seem like the sort of car worthy of such attention, but sentimental attachment is a powerful thing; sometimes we love cars not for what they are, but for how they make us feel, and the memories we have of them.
The result of all this care is that we get to enjoy this wonderful time capsule of a forty-five-year-old economy car. And the more you look at it, the more delightful little details jump out: the aforementioned woodgrain, which even makes an appearance on the top of the shift knob; the body-colored steel wheels with chrome hubcaps and beauty rings; the wonderful simplicity of the instrument panel. Not to mention the original AM/FM radio – which I’m going to use as a little age test. If you’re old enough to remember how to set the station preset buttons on one of these, tell the youngsters how it’s done in the comments.
1983 Buick Riviera – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 5.0 liter overhead valve V8, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Dallas, TX
Odometer reading: 62,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Bread-and-butter economy cars like the Omni were one thing, but if you wanted to announce that you had “made it,” you traded up to a personal luxury coupe. Maybe not a Cadillac or a Lincoln; you weren’t made of money, after all, but a Buick would do nicely. Comfy and fancy, but still sensible and honest. Not a Regal, though; if you were going to do it, you went straight for the Riviera. That promotion came with a big raise, after all, and you want to flaunt it, just a little. But, you know, in a good respectable blue-collar way.
This is the sixth-generation Riviera, in which Buick’s flagship coupe finally joined the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado in embracing front-wheel-drive. If you checked the option box for a V8 instead of Buick’s standard V6, you got an Oldsmobile engine too, in this case displacing 307 cubic inches. It’s mounted longitudinally, and sends power to the front wheels through a chain-driven Turbo-Hydramatic 325-4L transmission, a descendant of the original Toronado transmission also used in the GMC Motorhome. This one has only 62,000 miles under its belt, and runs well, with a rebuilt carb and a new fuel pump.
A personal luxury coupe is pointless if it’s not as comfortable as a good Barcalounger, and the Riviera does not disappoint. This is a smooth, comfortable car, made to sail down the highways and byways without its driver even being aware of the pavement passing under its radial whitewalls. This one is in really nice condition inside, too, with only one tiny spot of wear on the driver’s seat where the shoulder harness rubs. The seller does say it needs a new headliner, but doesn’t include a photo of what’s wrong with it.
Outside, it’s not perfect, but it is really nice. It could use a good wash and wax, and those plastic filler panels behind the bumpers could use replacing, but that’s true of almost every GM car from this era. I know they’re available for Cadillacs; hopefully the Riviera has enough of a following that someone is reproducing these as well. The pale yellow color is apparently part of a “Yellow Rose of Texas” special edition package. I have to assume the beer can flattened under one tire is part of that package as well. (I kid, I kid…)
The appeal of ordinary cars that have been kept in extraordinary condition is strong, but too often the prices of such cars is wildly inflated. Neither of these is perfect, but they’re not absurdly overpriced either. And either one could be polished up a bit and shown off with pride. So what’ll it be – the grocery-getter Dodge, or the shop manager’s Buick?
(Image credits: Omni – Facebook Marketplace seller; Riviera – Craigslist seller)
We had the Plymouth Horizon version until my dad tried to teach my brother winter driving skills in it. We liked it a lot, it was just a few years old at the time. I’ll vote that, but I think both are valid.
I wanted to take the Riv, but the fabricated bumper corner pieces indicate the big problem with making this one presentable – they deteriorate and you can’t find them anywhere anymore. Add to this the fact that that underhood pic screamed “VACUUM LEAK!” to me was enough to vote for the objectively awful, but incredibly well preserved Omni. Can’t even take it to Radwood because it’s a year too old, but oh well.
I can’t imagine the turning radius of that big of a car with FWD. And honestly… I’m partial to a good hatchback. Omni it is.
The words “good” and “Omni” do not go together! ⃛ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ )
My parents had a new ’83 Omni with the 2.2L and a stick. It was a fun little car but had quality issues. Water kept coming in from somewhere near the front windshield and the service techs ended up running next to the car with a garden hose while someone drove it to see how water was being forced in. They figured it out, but it took several trips to get that sorted. I went with the Buick because the ’79 Omni with a VW engine and automatic is not something I would ever want.
Come on.. how is this a choice? V8, power seats, digital dashboard, 4 ashtrays, cassette deck with doubly, power windows, miles of fake woodgrain and last but by no means least, brown velour! Riviera all the way
I had to flip a coin on this one. My dad and my sister had Omnis and they were good little cars. A buddy of mine in HS had a Riviera of this vintage and that thing was soooo cushy.
Ended up voting Riviera since it would be nicer to drive today.
I had to go Omni. I had an 87 Omni with the 2.2L and a 5 speed manual. Speedo/Odo broke at about 250k and I drove it for another 2 or 3 years after that. Eventually, it developed a shake when in 5th gear (which thinking about now was probably a broken engine mount).
I had a time when I couldn’t get it over 60mph. Turns out that the ground wire rusted off the engine and the plugs couldn’t generate enough power. Fixed that and it was good again.
It was also nice to sleep in as the front seats reclined almost fully.
Have to take the well maintained Omni over the been sitting for while, almost flat tired, bondo? attempted repair on the bumper filler inserts Riviera. My mom’s brother had a nice turbo V6 Riviera of this body style, bought new, impressive then, this not that Riviera ????
Tie in to the Omni is the parents decided to replace as the main car the 1973 Plymouth Fury Custom Suburban Brougham (the Brougham gave it the New Yorker type fancy interior with reclining front passenger seat!), and it had the HO 440 V8 with the dual snorkel orange air cleaner, (why? When ordering it, the salesman said I know you want the 400 V8, but that’s 6 months back ordered, if you chose the high output 440, we can build it up and have it delivered in a month, so it got the 440). Being I was turning 16 in 1980, and envisioned driving the Fury, it was a bit of a letdown when the parents ordered a 1980 Dodge Omni 4door and gave the Fury to my older brother to take to college with him. That said, the Omni was a good car, and the parents loaded it up with all the options they could minus the sun roof, and fake wood grain on the sides. It did have the sport steering wheel that later showed up on the Shelby GLHS 4 doors. typical hit and miss Chrysler build quality, such as after picking the Omni up at the dealership, on the way home dad stopped by the beverage drive through and while there the check engine temp-oil light illuminated as we were pulling out to head on home, once moving it went out, dad took it to the dealership the next day and it was discovered the radiator temp sensor connector hadn’t been plugged onto the sensor on the radiator ???? so the fan wouldn’t come on. Fortunately no damage was done and it served faithfully for the next 8 years.
Well I actually owned a 1979 Dodge Omni (when I was a wee lad). I bought it used from a Pastor from the local Lutheran church.
It had the1.7L VW engine and a 4spd Manual trans and an AM Radio. NOTHING ELSE. Bare bones, no frills car and it still was a pile of FECES!
How so, you say? The bolts that held the alternator to the alternator bracket would magically loosen on their own and then the alternator belt would slip and you’d eventually end up with a dead battery. This was happening because the screw holes for the alternator bracket would strip, on their own from the vibration of the engine rendering them useless. hence a loose alternator belt!
FWD vehicles were a relatively new technology to U.S .automakers as this time as I experienced first hand with repeated front wheel bearing failures. A couple of years after I sold the vehicle, Chrysler finally figured the root cause of the bearing failures, it was due to static electricity! yep!!
Also, the engine had nylon valve guides which wore out prematurely which resulted in excessive engine oil consumption.
Also, the carburetor was mounted to the intake manifold with a 1 inch thick rubber carburetor insulator plate. They would harden and would dry rot, creating a severe vacuum leak rendering the car useless, it would not run!
Also the transmission linkage ( I had the 4 spd Manual transmission) had rubber bushings that would unseat themselves from the transmission linkage resulting in the loss of the ability to shift gears!
I could go on, but the pain is too great, this was my first car I ever owned!
(So, can you guess which vehicle I chose today) (ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡
My parents bought a Horizon as their first new car together after they got married, traded in my mom’s Chevy Monza that she bought new in nursing school after her Vega shit the bed coming up Broad Street in Philadelphia. The Plymouth was a pile, back and forth to the dealer constantly. They always keep their cars until they’re run into the ground, 10+ years, but that thing maybe made it a year and a half, no photos of it even made it into family albums, not even in the background. Unfortunately, they traded it in on a Tempo with the ridiculous computerized carburetor. They’re Toyota loyalists now.
The Omni was the First and the last Chrysler product I ever bought.
I’d rather drive the Riv, but the Horizon is so much nicer I have to choose that one.
You set the station presets by pressing and holding, turning the knob to the desired frequency, then releasing, don’t you?
The Dodge Omni ‘/ Plymouth Horizon was more different from the Chrysler/Simca/Talbot Horizon than it appeared – front suspension was completely different (struts instead of torsion bars) and I’m not sure the body panels actually were the same, even if they look like it. That’s what I can remember, anyway.
As I remember those, to set the “station” you pulled the button out, then pressed it in.
I mean you were only “programming” the knob position, not a real frequency, and the dial moved to the same place, AM or FM
That’s how it was on our old Subaru of similar vintage. It’s a mechanical style of preset.
*Shakes fist at these kids and their fancy digital tuning, auto-programming, dozens of save positions radios*
I chose the Omni, just because I have not seen one in forever, and they used to be everywhere. A honest car someone loved is always going to get a nod from me. I do remember them being rather horrible cars, though.
☜╮(´ิ∀´ิ☜╮) Yep! they were horrible cars!!
You had me at Omni, lost me at the carb’d Peugeot (?) engine.
I’d rather rock that 5L.
Early Omnirizons had a VW engine.
They also had 1.6L’s from Simca, who Chrysler owned but sold to Peugeot.
I always get the displacements confused.
My parents traded in their VW Fastback on a brand new Dodge Omni the first year it was offered. That one had a manual transmission and I wasn’t allowed to touch the radio so I couldn’t tell you how to set the preset buttons. The only thing I remember about that car was how everything broke on it, from the door locks to the window winders, it was back at the dealership all the time. I learned a lot of good curse words to impress my friends. I’m a lot older now so give me the Buick.
My dad took a chance on an ’80 Omni on the theory that at least the VW engine would be OK. He was also really desperate as my brother had just totaled the RX-2 and small cars were hard to come by. My recollection is that the car was constantly troublesome, but the engine was fine.
I sent the ad to my Mom. Her comment was “The gutless wonder”
Hard to decide, this is my favorite Riviera body style and those seats look so comfy and wonderful, I suspect the Omni would get more lookers at a car show, though, just because it’s so rare to see one anymore, let alone in this great of shape. This one is a tie for me.
When I was a kid, my neighbors had a Riviera like that. Maybe a year or two older, but really close. They were an older couple and would have me pick up their mail when they were out of town and put it in the trunk of the Riviera. After putting in the mail for the day, I’d open it up and sit in it and imagine cruising down by the lake. Just for the nostalgia hit, make mine Buick.
That old Omni is interesting. But I also know those cars were SHIT… particularly with that powertrain combo. But I’m strangely attracted to it for such a crap car being around today in such excellent condition.
But regardless of that, the Buick still gets my vote. It’s a much nice old car to have.
The honest simplicity and remarkable condition of the Omni won me over. It has to be one of the nicest examples of that car in existence.
Welp, the mid-thirties Buick “Century” was so named because (with straight eight) it could run @ 100 MPH.
So, unless this Riv is evil spawn, I’ll invest in lineage. And on a good day, and good road, I can imagine myself in a mid-60s Riv with dual-quad 425 Nailhead.
Personal-fantasy coupe.
Id normally say Riveria all day long, but not that Riveria. Looks scruffy/rough, probably a million things wrong with it mechanically. Always rubs me the wrong way when a seller cant even be bothered to wash the dang car. Also I think this gen Riveria looks a lot classier in burgandy, black, navy blue, that cool purplish/pinkish beige hue, aka any dark color makes the chrome trim really pop.
The Omni is probably one of THE NICEST ones left in existence. Usually when its original/low miles/ owned by the same family you are getting a time capsule type of car. Also I NOW like the funky “hey Im a generic crap can 80’s econobox styling, but am I a Toyota, VW or Mazda??”
I used to really HATE these generic 80s hatchbacks as a kid in the 90s, they were all beat up and driven by broke ass college students or losers if you were a bit older lol. Just no sense of style, they all looked alike. I guess as time has marched on what was old/crap is now nostalgic and novel again.
What a strange couple of 40+ year old cars not only still running but looking way too newish. That Omni is familiar to me. I can recall them existing like cockroaches when I was in school. Th inside looks like an even older car though like something out of East Germany. So basic and spartan.
They’re both overpriced for what they are but I chose the Buick. It would at least not be soul crushing to drive around and I could pretend I got the promotion and it was only a matter of time before the wife and I picked out our Caddy and matching cemetery plots while drinking our hi-balls.
Name one East German car that had carpeting and a radio.
I could have sworn the Wartburg we had there in the 80’s had carpet but the pictures show rubber floors. The neighbor’s did have them and a radio but I’m positive it was aftermarket. I recall a friend’s family in Czechoslovakia had a Lada that came with both but that was Soviet I think. Surprisingly decently equipped but it wasn’t meant for the masses. Now, I’m looking at boxes and boxes of old photos of gray houses and cars.
I was just surprised to see Henderson, NC on there. Shout out to my hometown. Still picked the Buick though
Oh man, my family owned basically the same vehicles… a 1983 Plymouth Horizon and a 1985 Buick Riviera. Loved both those cars – the Horizon was a beast in the upstate New York snow. I had the Riviera in grad school and I had some gold letters forming an acronym on my dash: BBHMM . . . “Bitch Better Have My Money.”
Horizon (eta—actually an Omni. I find that amusing)
Id normally take a rwd v8 over an automatic 4-cylinder —but this Buick is fwd. I have a lot of respect for the Horizon given the abuse & neglect one particular one took from a buddy, so it’d be worth manual-swapping. As a bonus, I believe various older VW transmissions bolt up, so you could find one of the diesel-5thgear-swapped ones to throw in for low-speed fun with reasonable cruising rpm
I chose the Dodge.
If the Riv was the boat-tail then that would have been my pick, because it would have been perfect for an ev restomod.
Knock $1k off the Dodge and it’d be a closer battle, but ultimately the Buick is the better car for the money.